Price Rite Marketplace teamed up with anti-hunger organization Feed the Children and event partners Kraft and Community Renewal Team to distribute food and essentials to 800 local families in need in the greater Hartford area on May 15. The community event at Price Rite Marketplace of West Hartford, located at 983 New Britain Ave., served as the kick-off to the supermarket retailer’s 2019 Feeding Minds & Bodies Campaign in partnership with Feed the Children, which helps food insecure and struggling families in the communities where Price Rite Marketplace stores operate.
Each family, pre-identified based on need by Community Renewal Team, received a 25-pound box of food; 10-pound box of essentials like shampoo, conditioner, lotion and personal-care items; a collection of children’s books and a bag of additional fresh produce and shelf-stable items provided by Price Rite Marketplace and Kraft. The families picked up their packages at Price Rite Marketplace in West Hartford.
Fighting hunger is at the heart of Price Rite Marketplace’s charitable giving and, paired with Feed the Children’s vision to create a world where no child goes to bed hungry, the two created an initiative called Feeding Minds & Bodies, which is designed to help bring attention to and fight the serious issue of childhood hunger. Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children help children and their families by providing food, personal care items, books and school supplies throughout the year. Price Rite Marketplace and Feed the Children will host eight events in 2019 to address seasonal issues surrounding food insecurity, including the lack of food during the summer months, back-to-school season and the holidays.
“Our Feeding Minds & Bodies campaign with Feed the Children puts special focus on making sure vulnerable children get the items they need for healthy development,” said Jim Dorey, president of Price Rite Marketplace. “Our dedicated associates volunteer each year to pack thousands of boxes containing fresh food, personal care items, children’s books and school supplies, and they give those nourishing care packages to local families.”
“Feed the Children is proud to partner with Price Rite Marketplace and Community Renewal Team to work towards the goal of no child going to bed hungry,” said Travis Arnold, Feed the Children president and CEO. “We know that when we combine our efforts we will have a greater impact on the lives of families who need us most—right here in America.”
"On behalf of Community Renewal Team and the families that we serve throughout the Greater Hartford area, we are so very grateful for the continued support from Price Rite Marketplace, Feed the Children and Kraft to make this day possible," said Lena Rodriguez, CEO of Community Renewal Team, Inc. "We often forget how expensive a week's worth of groceries can be for a family. The food and essentials donated today will make a huge difference for the 800 families selected for this program."
Since partnering with Feed the Children in 2015, Price Rite Marketplace has contributed more than 1.7 million pounds of food, totaling approximately $7 million in gift-in-kind donations.